Marco's freckles
by monithing
Summary: SO basically Jean sees Marco in the bakery that he works at and they exchange conversations and then numbers and then...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Rummaging through my papers, I was going to be late for work again. Shit. Where is my check? I needed to get gas on the way to work because I'm riding on the empty line. I hear my ringtone blasting through my jean pocket and it startles my thoughts. It's John, my boss. "Where the hell are you jean?!" Placing my hand on my forehead and then rustling my hair, I let out a sigh. "I'll be there in five." Hanging up the phone I shove it back in my pocket and grab my leather jacket and keys. Running past the kitchen I stop to grab a water bottle, but my socks slide across the floor making me hit the wall and land on my butt. Rubbing my rear I stand up and head out the door.

Wiping my nose with my sleeve, I quickly run back to the cooking sheets and start applying the glaze for the donuts. I've been working in this bakery shop since I was thirteen, my boss John, gave me this job because he was a close friend of my father. After my dad passed he promised to look after me. "Send out those donuts in ten minutes!" I didn't mind working in the bakery, it smelt nice and had a homey feeling. Walking through the kitchen I pass Reiner who is boiling the eggs for the next batch of donuts. "Here's your donuts." Placing them on the counter behind the front desk, I notice a man standing in the corner where the cookbooks are stacked individually. Assuming he may need assistance John shoves me and nods in place. While I was walking over to him, I took time to see the outline of his body. He was tall with sandy brown hair, his shirt fit nicely around his biceps and he must be cold because he grew goosebumps as I finally reached him. "Looking for anything fancy." He jumped in shock and nervously laughed rubbing the back of his head. "I'm actually just looking for a small recipe my father used to use when I was younger." His voice was fairly deep and the closer I stood to him the shorter he looked. Wearing a blue shirt with a symbol of a band called Sleeping With Sirens, and skinny black jeans. He had freckles on his cheeks, that reminded me of a childhood friend I used to know. "Well, we have a lot of cookbooks, but the more homey ones are all sold out." Pulling out a piece of paper I write down my number and hand it over to him. He looks kind of confused and replies, "what is this for." "It's my number, you can call me if you remember what the recipe was and I can help you find it once the new shipment comes in. " nodding he gratefully takes the paper and stuffs it in his pocket. "My names Marco, thanks for the help." Marco. It fits him. "I'm Jean, anytime." Giving a nod of encouragement to him as he left the store, I felt somewhat cheerful for the rest of the day.

Laying in my bed I watch as the clock slowly ticks by. Work is in a few hours and I feel like I've been run over by a bus. My stomach is aching and my head is spinning. As I slowly begin to doze off my cellphone vibrates. buzz buzz. From Marco: I just remembered that the recipe was an Alfredo mix. Squinting my eyes at the bright screen I rubbed my face and let out a yawn. buzz buzz. My phone vibrations awake me from my nap. "huh? I must've fell asleep." From Marco: This is Jean, right? Sorry if it's not :( I let out a small laugh and sat up, pushing the covers off of my legs and unlocked my phone. To Marco: Yeah this is Jean, sorry I fell asleep. I check my phone for the time and I see I'm once again ten minutes late for work. I hurry out of bed, while I comb my hair several times until locking the door. Making my way down a few blocks I reached the bakery and the bell chimes as I try to sneak in. "About damn time!" John is sweeping the floor while blasting old rock music. "Sorry John, I don't feel to well." John observes me, looking me up and down, he lets out a loud sigh and shakes his head. Walking to the kitchen I begin to prep some dough and then place a pot of oil on the stove, putting it on high. I wonder if Marco will be coming today. Ding. Ding. Someone just came in through the door, but it's ten minutes before opening. Wiping my hands on a towel I walk around the counter to look out the window to see who came in. There he was, sitting in the chair closest to the back. Why is he here? He comes here for the food and cookbooks, remember? Not realizing that I've been staring, my vision breaks when I hear a crash coming from the kitchen. "Shit! My oil!" Running to my station, the oil is popping and the stove is on fire. Trying to grab the pot to throw it off the stove my sleeve catches fire and I throw the pot into the steel sink next to the freezer. John rushes in with a fire extinguisher and calms the fire down enough to shut the oven off. Soaking my sleeve in the water I wench in pain from the flames. "Hey Jean are you alright?" John sets the fire extinguisher down and walks over to me. "Yeah, just a little burn. Nothing serious." Smiling I ask to go home to change my clothes. "Be back in twenty!" As I'm walking to go outside I'm stopped by a gentle tug on my arm. There's warmth. Turning around I'm blinded by the sun coming in through the windows, I can't make out who's holding my arm but I can see one thing. Freckles.

I awake to the sound of nurses talking around me. A bright light shines in my eyes and I can't seem to talk. "He was severely burned but I don't know why he fainted." huh? I fainted? "Will he be able to go home today?" that voice, I know that voice. The hospital is cold and I can feel someone touching my arm again, with the same warmth. "You're awake. How are you feeling?" Looking to the side, I see Marco. He is clutching my arm and looking at me waiting for an answer. "U-Um, where am I?" Marco explains to me that I fainted and then he brought me here, that was three hours ago. They let me leave around 5:00 p.m. "Thanks Marco, I can go on alone from here." Holding my hand out I wave down a taxi. On the drive home I just kept replaying the scenarios in my head. Walking up the stairs to apartment #24 I grab my keys and unlock my door, pushing it open I head straight for my bed and fall down. buzz. buzz. My phone lights up with a new message icon. From Marco: Hey, did you make it home alright? It's 10 p.m. I must have fallen asleep for a while. I get up and turn on the lights, the brightness reminding me of the bakery. When someone grabbed my arm as I left to go home. Who was that? Freckles. I remember freckles. When Marco touched me today at the hospital it felt the same as when the other person grabbed my arm. It must have been him. As I'm walking to the bathroom I remember the text message I received from Marco and I collect my thoughts and text him back. To Marco: yea thanks! You should let me treat you to dinner or sumthing?

November 1st, it has been over a week since I texted Marco asking if he wanted to go out for dinner. He has not been in the bakery since then either. I wonder if I scared him off, but I didn't do anything, just wanted to show my thanks. Right? Ding. Ding. Someone just came into the bakery. Without hesitating I run over to the counter to see who walked in. Standing in a long black coat and a white beanie was Marco. For some reason I felt this weird sensation in my body, it filled me up with joy. Walking around the counter and into the dining room, I make my way over to Marco. "Hey man, where have you been?" I ask concerned, while studying his body, his black coat covers almost his whole chest except for a portion that is bare because of the tank top beneath it. He is slender and has a light brown tan. Moving my eyes down I come across his snug jeans surrounding his private area. Wonder what he's wearing underneath those? My thoughts become blurry as I hear someone calling my name repeatedly. "Jean..? Hey Jean?" Blinking rapidly I shake my head and look back up to him. Shit! Did he see me check him out? Marco seemed to find something humorous because he busted out in laughter. He was cute when he laughed. Rubbing the back of my head I observe the stand behind him and saw that a new shipment of cookbooks arrived; John must have put them out. "Didn't see yours, huh?" Marco turned around to join me and he shrugged his shoulders while replying, "Well, I haven't used that recipe for about ten years." Ten years? "So where are you from?" Watching as his eyes gloss over, he licks his lips before speaking, and when he begins to tell me where he grew up a sudden glance from him gives me goosebumps. The way he talks makes me want to place his head in between my hands and borrow his lips.


	2. Chapter 2

Winter has never been more white than this year. Snow is falling against my shutters. Christmas is right around the corner, then again I never was that much into holidays. The last time I celebrated Christmas was four years ago with my ex girlfriend, Miaska. _Does Marco like Christmas? _As I'm laying on my couch a knock echoes through my house. Standing up I walk passed stacked boxes that I forgot to unpack when I moved apartments. Opening the door I freeze. Marco's standing nervously on the other end and he is holding a violet bag that has a few crumbles in it. "I-I uh asked John what your address was. Sorry if that's weird, I thought I would take your dinner offer up?" He says rubbing his neck. _Dinner offer..? That's right he never texted me back about that. _"You never answered my text so I took that as a no." Playing with the doorknob I try to avoid eye contact. He shifts his weight from his left foot to his right and then backs up to walk away. _Don't go. I don't know why he makes me joyful or why I don't want him to go, it's because I want to be friends right_? Reaching out in a rush I grab his arm. I feel the restraint in his tricep so I let go. "Sorry." I reply as I'm looking up to see any sign of disbelief in his eyes. A smile is emerging on his face. _Why is he smiling? _Marco makes his way to me and puts his hand on the wall beside my head and leans close to my face. "Now why did you grab my arm?" He asks me in a snotty way trying to hide his curiosity. _Why is he so close to me?_ "I-um I didn't want you to go." Rubbing my shoulder looking down to the ground. A chuckle comes from his mouth and I feel his breathe on my lips. My face begins to burn slightly but as I look up to see Marco lick his lips my knees give out. _Why am I feeling this way? _Confused and embarrassed I knock his hand off the wall and rush to my apartment, leaving the slamming of a door echo throughout the hall. I jerk awake. Looking around my room to see if Marco is anywhere, when he's not I relax and shift my body weight into my bed burying my head in my pillow. My eyes shoot open when I hear he's laugh. _Huh? Is he here? _Looking at my alarm clock blinking from a low battery, it says 10 o'clock, December 5th. _Wait.. I worked today.. So that was a dream? _

It was a chilly day today, so walking to the bakery took a little longer than usual. I reached into my pocket to call John and let him know I was going to be late but my hand grabbed ahold of nothing. "Shit." Letting out an aggravated sigh, I look at my watch to see if I could make it home to grab my phone and still be on time for work. Rubbing my left leg I just continue walking to work. Puffs of white come out my nose and mouth, it begins to snow. I hurry around the corner and feel a tight nodge in my chest as I fall backwards. "Watch where you-" My eyes narrow up the body that hit me, and my eyes lock onto one thing, freckles. He's rubbing his stomach,I assume that's where my arm hit him. My butt begins to feel wet and I notice I'm in a small puddle. "Ugh! That's just great." Rushing to stand up I notice Marco still isn't. I reach my hand out to pull him up, he gives me a short smile and goes to take my hand. His fingers wrap the outside of my hand and grip tightly. I nudged my arm back and pull him to his feet. He still is gripping my hand when he stands. "Sorry man, I didn't see you." He begins to protest. I quickly let go of his hand and turn sideways and arch my head back to see how bad the wet spot on my jeans were. He must have noticed the puddle because he handed me a napkin along with a nervous laughter. "Don't worry about it, I was the one running and didn't see you, oh and thanks for the uh napkin." Wiping off my jeans, I readjust them. "Are you heading to the bakery?" I nod to his question and start to slowly walk around him waving goodbye. _Invite him to dinner. _I stop about halfway down the road and turn around to find him staring at me. _Okay this is it, if he asks you what you're doing, then ask him to dinner. It's just a friendly gesture, nothing more. _Marco observes me and I notice him mouthing something but I can't make it out. I scream out what and he continues to mouth something. I hear a faint but very clear noise behind me, a growling. A smell fills my nostrils with disgust. It smells like a terrible odor. I turn around slowly to find a dog behind me. My nightmare standing face to face with me. I notice foam coming from the canine's mouth. A staggering tail motion coming from him shows he doesn't have much control of himself anymore. A sudden growl snaps me back to 1999. That summer was ordinary and peaceful. My childhood friend and I would always go to the twins baseball games or go to the park once school let out. One day we agreed to meet up for baseball practice, we were planning on joining the middle school team that upcoming year. I still to this day wonder what it would have been like if I wouldn't have gotten hurt. I was walking up to the park finishing my peanut butter and jelly sandwich my mother had made me right before. I could hear my friend running behind me trying to catch up to me. We had a long day of sweat and laughter. The sun started going down and I knew if I didn't go home my mother would ground me and then I wouldn't be able to practice anymore so I hurried home. My friend and I started walking home. He was younger than I and a lot more scared when it came to nighttime. He grabbed onto the bottom of my shirt and I tugged it away but he stayed snugged on it. We got around a corner not even a block away from my house when the dog came near. Foam was dripping from its mouth and was swerving side to side trying to keep itself balanced. I told my friend to run home but he was frozen. The canine ran towards him and I jumped in front of him. The next thing I know i'm in a hospital for two months recovering from serious injuries. The vicious bark brings me back to reality. The canine was now running towards me. "Jean! Watch out!" My body felt numb. I was frozen. The dog jumped onto me knocking me on the ground. Drops of saliva fell on my cheek and it was now growling at me. I could hear footsteps. Marco was coming towards me. _No.. this wont happen again. I can't let Marco get hurt. Come on Jean throw him off you. You're not that kid 16 years ago! _I placed my hands onto the dogs chest and with a shove I threw him off. While he was trying to motion his stance, I fumbled in fright scouting backwards. My back bumped into Jean's legs. The dog whimpered as a policemen came and tazed it. I was shaking and I felt his legs bend down and his arms wrapped around my neck. "Marco, it's okay." I could feel his breathe on my cheek and my shaking slowed down. He's so warm, I could stay like this all day. He grabs beneath my armpits and pulls me up to my feet. My back is turned towards him and he tries to move my shoulder to turn me to face him but I nudged my shoulder back in place. A small noise comes from my mouth and I wipe my face. _I can't believe I'm crying, I can't let him see me like this. _He finally notices why I won't turn and he walks in front of me. My vision is blurry from the tears collecting in my eyes. I keep wiping my eyes and I try to hold back the pathetic wimpers. Marco places his hand beneath my chin and tilted my head up. "Stop crying Jean, it's okay." My lips are shaking and I began to get the hiccups. "I-I can't, I'm sorry that I look so path-" Marco's lips connect with mine. His hand tilts my chin up more as he slides his tongue through my parted lips. There was a burning sensation arousing through my mouth. My hands stayed dangling on my sides and my eyes let out the last of tears. He pulled away leaving a trail of saliva and had a smirk. _Is he mocking me? _"See, you're not crying anymore." He let out a small chuckle and grabbed my hand and led me down the street to the bakery.

_Buzz. Buzz. _My phone goes off as I'm rolling around restlessly in my bed. Fearing it's from Marco I shut my eyes and try to fall asleep. _Buzz. Buzz. _The vibrations of my phone seems like it's going on forever. Finally I give in and unlock my phone to have a message pop up. **From Marco: Jean are you doing any bttr? :( **I wipe my face, dragging my lips down making my mouth slam shut when my hand leaves. _Why does he act like nothing happened? _**To Marco: Yeah, I just can't sleep though, not tired. **Not even a minute later my phone goes off. **From Marco: I can come over and watch a movie? I have popcorn! :) To Marco: Uhh..sur**

_Great, why didn't you just say no? Why didn't you ask him why he kissed you? You can ask him when he comes over, yeah, do that. Wait, what if he tries to do it again? No, i have to text him no. _As i begin to text my doorbell rings. The ringing seemed to go on for hours because the next thing I knew we were sitting in my bed watching Ted. I was sitting at the foot of my bed and he was leaning against my head board making himself at home. The popcorn was rested below his right arm. My stomach seemed to growl, but I refuse to sit close to him. In the corner of my eye I could see him resting his eyes on me. I could feel them watching me. I turned around and all I got was a big grin with a few popcorn shells in his teeth. _Cute. No matter what he did, I still think that he is cute. _The credits came on and he didn't move. I stood up and stretched. "Well, thanks for coming over! I guess it's time to g-" A snore comes from him. _He's.. asleep.. _I walked quietly over to his bed side and took the popcorn bucket from underneath his arm. He was already half way under my covers so I just pulled them up some more. I started to reach for his face but I stopped. _What are you doing? He's asleep, don't just randomly touch him.. but he kissed me when I was defenseless? _He shifted his body under the covers and turned his back on me snuggling up to my pillow that was rested on the left side. My side of the bed. I went to the hall closet next to the restroom and grabbed a few blankets and a pillow that I found on my couch. Laying out a template and pillow I laid down. Staring at the ceiling fan I tried focusing on one board as it went around in circles endlessly. My apartment was nothing special, I got it a few years back with money I had saved up from working in the bakery. You could hear every noise, the walls were not thick and in the winter my apartment would freeze up. I can hear Marco moving around in my bed. The sheets sounded like silk rubbing against his body. I covered myself with my blanket, my breath filled the under covers with heat. "Jean?.." A voice that almost sounded like a child came from my room. My heart sank. I moved around a little trying to stay quiet. He called my name again, but this time more frightened. I slowly got up and walk into my room. He was sitting up against the headboards and he didn't have his shirt on. I looked around and he had thrown it on the ground below him. "Jean, I'm cold." I shook my head and let out a yawn. "I'll go get you some blankets and put your shirt on!" I started to turn, when I heard a small snore come from behind me. I turned to face him and folded my arms. _He's asleep again. _I shook my head and let out a small laugh. Walking over to tuck him back in my foot gets caught on his shirt and makes me slid, falling on my butt. Marco jerks up and looks around and then down looking at me. "Jean, what are you doing here? Where am I?" I crinkle my eyebrows and got up rubbing my butt. "You fell asleep, so I just let you lay there. It's fine I have the couch. It's to late to bike home anyways." He kind of looked confused.


End file.
